Parking enforcement software solutions are responsive and agile for both parkers and parking enforcement officers (PEOs) alike. This is mainly due to the way these new systems utilize a mix of real-time communication and cloud technology. Parkers can pay their fares via a variety of means, including with their own smartphones, while officers can be sure that the rights verification data they’re seeing is updated and error-free. Parkers can pay up to the very last possible second before a violation kicks in, even in the event of server latency, and a failsafe auto-correction protocol reduces the chances of officers giving a ticket in error to almost nothing.

The added value of cloud hosting and increased benefits of enforcement software solutions like pay-by-plate go beyond even these, though. These new protocols are secure and easy to integrate, with no on-premises infrastructure necessary and over 30 different payment providers available. Even better, municipalities won’t have to worry about things like hosting, infrastructure, maintenance, and communication when setting up and running it. In many ways, this new parking system is a one-size-fits-all solution to modern parking enforcement.

Thanks to the benefits of real-time communication, modern parking enforcement software solutions can maintain 99% uptime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This isn’t some kind of magic trick, either, but a combination of four separate system functions working together to keep networks live and running strong.

For starters, redundant servers are setup to guarantee that a usable database is always available. With parking rights pushed to two physically separate server locations, if one goes down, the other remains online to guarantee seamless operation. To this same point, the handheld devices used by enforcement officers are enabled with endpoint switching: in the event of a connection interruption with one server, the devices can switch automatically to the other to verify parking rights.

In addition to these, load balancers will monitor the distribution of server requests. If one server is being overloaded due to heavy volume, new requests will be routed to the secondary server in an effort to maintain equilibrium. Last but not least, failover automation automatically switches servers (with no human intervention required) should one go down. In each of these ways, real-time communication is guaranteed, and enforcement protocols can proceed without any hiccups.

FINAL SYSTEM CHECKS ENSURE FAIR PARKING ENFORCEMENT

The proper running of modern parking enforcement software solutions like Pay-by-Plate constitutes more than simply keeping real-time communication available. The following four system fail-safes ensure greater accuracy in parking rights verification while simultaneously giving parkers a fair shake when it comes to purchasing parking rights.

With FinalCheck, parkers are given until the very last possible moment before getting a ticket to renew their parking rights. When a Parking Enforcement Officer has a ticket ready to go, this system sends one final request for parking rights to the database: if new rights are found, FinalCheck prevents a ticket from being issued. For municipalities that require both permit and vehicle registration, DoubleCheck verifies both requirements simultaneously as an officer verifies parking rights. This makes less work for officers while keeping them more vigilant.

Another system adjustment parking enforcement software can make to give parkers and officers a little more help is an Out-of-Communication Zone. If a given parking zone’s pay stations go down at the same time, that zone will automatically be registered as an Out-of-Communication Zone, and thus a “paid zone” for everyone parked within it, until the pay stations are restored.

Last but not least, Auto-Correction is around to make sure that communication latency doesn’t lead to unnecessary ticketing. If a parker’s vehicle is ticketed during a latency event preventing a timely parking payment from being transmitted to the parking rights server, the file will be modified to reflect the proper ticket status when everything is back to normal.

PARKING SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS MAKE ENFORCEMENT EASIER AND BETTER

The last thing anybody wants is to give tickets in error, and this new technology reflects that commitment to accuracy. With the institution of modern parking enforcement software solutions, municipalities can count on massive technological and practical upgrades to their local parking situations. Cloud technology and mission critical parking rights protocol make it easier for parkers to buy parking rights, which in turn makes compliance go up. When compliance goes up, so do parking enforcement revenues. The ease of use inherent in these new systems increases public buy-in and satisfaction, all but guaranteeing successful system integration.

Wondering what parking management in the cloud looks like? Check out our infographic!